The wave velocity is determined by the properties of the medium and is independent of the other parameters, but it can be determined from measurements of the frequency and wavelength. The following calculation allows you to specify any two of the quantities in the wave relationship v = fl and then initiate the calculation by clicking on the active text for the quantity you wish to calculate.

Plane Wave Expressions

A traveling wave which is confined to one plane in space and varies sinusoidally in both space and time can be expressed as combinations of

It is sometimes convenient to use the complex form

which may be shown to be a combination of the above forms by the use of the Euler identity

In the case of classical waves, either the real or the imaginary part is chosen since the wave must be real, but for application to quantum mechanical wavefunctions such as that for a free particle, the complex form may be retained.